Assorted content for your weekend reading.- David Rosen discusses the connection between poverty and more general social exclusion:Poverty is a form of social powerlessness. The poorer you are, the weaker you are, the harder your life; everythin… . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links

Miscellaneous material to start your week.- Paul Krugman writes that we’re far closer to a major energy transformation than many people realize – but that public policy decisions in the next few years may make all the difference in determining whether … . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links

Governing inevitably involves a combination of setting the agenda to the extent possible, and responding to events to the extent necessary. And while there’s a great deal of doubt as to where the Libs’ priorities will lie, it’s possible to identify the areas where they’ll have little choice but to make decisions very quickly.

…the Cons’ campaign is effectively down to brainstorming new ways to gratuitously attack women who wear niqabs, regardless of the excuse used to do so or even the non-existence of the circumstances where new discrimination would be imposed.

Here, on how we should call out the Cons’ bigotry surrounding the niqab for its own ill intent as well as for its effect of distracting from more substantive election issues.

For further reading…– The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision confirming that the niqab is a matter of religious freedom protected by the Charter is . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: New column day

– Christopher Majka reviews Henry Mintzberg’s Rebalancing Society as a noteworthy discussion of the need for balance between the public, private and “plural” sectors. And David Madland is pleased to see the U.S.’ Democrats finally fighting back against the view that the corporate sector is the only one . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Tuesday Morning Links

The current Liberal leader, who apparently saw no reason to think his actions in the present might result in the loss of his party’s self-proclaimed brand: Trudeau said he finds Canadians he talks with when he travels are open to the idea of balancing security and rights. But he conceded that he may have underestimated . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Juxtaposition

Justice James Stribopoulos sees the G20 human rights abuses as highlighting the problems with handing over poorly-defined powers to law enforcement: In an essay published in a new book on policing during the summit, Justice James Stribopoulos blames the abuses that took place on an absence of specific legislation to “confine, structure and check police . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: On inevitable abuses

The Progress Summit’s panel on First Nations has included plenty of discussion of the need to identify commonalities between First Nation issues and other groups within Canada. And I’d add that there are plenty more opportunities to draw further connections.

In addition to grossly misrepresenting the NDP’s position in opposition to C-51, Yves Messy makes the bizarre argument that we should decline to fight against the Cons’ terror bill through the political system, and instead count on courts to rein in its excesses. So let’s look at what’s wrong with that theory.

Most of the analysis surrounding the Cons’ terror bill so far has assumed that CSIS’ powers will be interpreted based on a plain reading of the legislation. Under this reading of C-51, any action which could violate the Charter or other Canadian law would only be authorized by a warrant, meaning that deprivations of rights . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: On constitutional questions

– Kathleen Geier discusses the U.S.’ culture of overwork and its human toll: There is abundant evidence that long working hours is incredibly dangerous from a public health perspective. Fatigued or sleep-deprived workers who drive or operate heavy machinery are an obvious menace to public safety, but there are . . . → Read More: Accidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links

From the Globe and Mail: I find it interesting that the Charter is so high but at the same time the Patriation of the Constitution is so low. Filed under: Canadian Politics, Conservative Party of Canada, Liberal Party of Canada, … Continue reading → . . . → Read More: The Equivocator: Canadian Values in 2012

So far, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s ideology-inspired of project of social and political engineering expresses itself most eloquently as the Conservatives’ egregious assault on civil liberties, the metamorphosis of Canada into a petro-state, and militarization of both Canadian society and foreign policy. We’re yet to acknowledge how this project oppresses the “other” while empowering utopian . . . → Read More: Canadian Progressive World: The day Canada’s white supremacists saluted Stephen Harper

The National’s report above is a good overview of yesterday’s release of the G20 report by Ontario’s Office of the Independent Police Review. You can read it here and while it is lengthy, the executive summary and ensuing recommendations are not a very taxing read. It is a tale of incompetence in so many . . . → Read More: Impolitical: The #G20 Office of the Independent Police Review Director report

Today’s the 30th anniversary of the formal adoption of the 1982 Constitution Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. A lot of ink has been recently devoted to the Harper government’s non-observance of this day. I could add to this, but instead I’d like to draw your attention to the text of the formal . . . → Read More: Pample the Moose: Happy Charter Day! And the importance of an "s"

Today’s the 30th anniversary of the formal adoption of the 1982 Constitution Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. A lot of ink has been recently devoted to the Harper government’s non-observance of this day. I could add to this, but instead I’d like to draw your attention to the text of the formal statement issued by Heritage Minister James Moore and Justice Minister Rob Nicholson which was originally posted here. I say “originally posted” lest the initial text be changed.

The full statement reads:

Statement by the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, and the Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, on the 30th Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Constitution Act of 1982

OTTAWA, April 17, 2012 – Today marks the 30th Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Constitution Act of 1982, which was formally signed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on April 17, 1982, in the presence of tens of thousands of Canadians on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

This anniversary marks an important step in the development of Canada’s human rights policy. Building on Diefenbaker’s Canadian Bill of Rights of 1960, the Constitution Act of 1982 enshrined certain rights and freedoms that had historically been at the heart of Canadian society into a constitutional document known as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

The Constitution Act of 1982 empowered our government to amend every part of Canada’s constitution, for the very first time.

As we look ahead to Canada’s 150th Anniversary in 2017, we encourage all Canadians to commemorate the milestones that have built our nation and made us the great country we are today.

There are all sorts of things that can be critiqued about this statement, starting with the omission of the Prime Minister and architect of the deal, Pierre Trudeau. But because I’m in a peculiar mood, let me instead draw your attention to paragraph 3 of the statement. There’s a rather important little “s” that is missing from the end of the word “government”. Because as any constitutional expert worth their salt knows, most parts of Canada’s constitution cannot be amended by any single government. In some cases, it takes at least two, in most it takes eight (seven provincial governments representing 50% of the population, plus the federal government), and in a few key areas it takes eleven governments to amend the constitution.

Harper can’t celebrate the Charter ’cause it’s too divisive and all. This is weak tea for a Canadian Prime Minister: “In terms of this as an anniversary, I think it’s an interesting and important step, but I would point out that the Charter remains inextricably linked to the patriation of the Constitution and the divisions . . . → Read More: Impolitical: Harper on celebrating the Charter

My time lately has been consumed by two grad courses, an active full-time job and home and family commitments. But one emergent and urgent issue has forced me to tend to my oft-neglected blog. (Yes, Minister Zwozdesky, I do consider healthcare to be urgent.)